Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Hiers wears eyeglasses. Her nickname is Lil Baby and her middle initial may be given as "I." Hiers walks with a limp. She has surgical scars on both knees. Some agencies give her name as Retha Ingram-Hiers.

Clothing/Jewelry Description: A red shirt and blue jeans.

Medical Conditions: Hiers has an unspecified medical condition.

Details of Disappearance

Hiers was last seen in the morning hours of December 19, 1982, driving away from her residence at the Breakers Apartments in the vicinity of the 12900 block of Campbell Lane in Largo, Florida. She was on her way to buy laundry detergent at the time. She has never been heard from again. Her white two-door 1976 Ford Elite was found in March 1983, four months after her disappearance, in the vicinity of the 2900 block of Gulf To Bay Boulevard in Clearwater, Florida.

Authorities believe Hiers's case may be related to the disappearances of
Donyelle Johnson from Pinellas County, Florida and
Margaret Dash from Clearwater. All three women had been romantically involved with Cleveland Hill Jr., a married asphalt contractor and a former minister at the Dash family's church, and all three of them were apparently trying to end their relationships with him when they disappeared. Hill served a prison sentence for shooting his wife and mother-in-law in 1968, and in 1992 he was convicted of drug trafficking. He was released from prison in 2008 and now lives in Virginia. He has never been charged in connection with any of the missing women's cases. A photo of Hill is posted below this case summary.

The missing women did not know each other and authorities have found no connection between them other than their association with Hill. Foul play is suspected in the disappearances of Hiers, Dash and Johnson. Their cases remain unsolved.

Above: Cleveland Hill in 1989

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
727-582-6200